Over the river and through the woods to grandmothers house we go....   Are you among the 40 million motorists who will be hitting the roads this holiday weekend to visit family and friends?  All the additional traffic plus winter road conditions can lead to dangerous situations.  Below are some safety tips to help you and your loved ones arrive safely.   Prepare your vehicle for long distance travel:  If you will be driving a very far distance, and especially if you will be traveling in remote areas, you will want to make sure your vehicle is running in tip top shape.  Check your wipers and fluids, make sure your tires are inflated property and still have the proper tread on them, make sure you have a spare tire and that it is in good working condition, and have your radiator and c... 11/24/2010

            Permit Center Holiday Closures                    November 24, December 23 and December 30th The city will not be accepting appointments for permit applications or permit issuance on Wednesday, November 24th, Thursday December 23rd or Thursday December 30th.  There will be staff available to answer questions at the counter as needed on these dates, except December 23rd. To make permit appointments otherwise, please call the City of Covington at 253-638-1110. 11/23/2010

  Snow, snow, snow...   Yep the "S" word is in the forecast, and as I type this we actually have lovely white flakes falling from the sky.  Remember the winter of 2008 when it snowed so much and hung around for so long we wondered if we'd ever see the grass in our yards again.  (This picture is from that year) And then there was last winter when we never saw even a flake.  Actually I'm not sure the word snow was ever uttered in the forecast.  February was so warm even the Olympics struggled to get snow for their events. Round these parts, often when local forecasters tell us that we might get some of the white stuff, they give us our odds in elevation.  "Snow levels tonight to 1,000 feet."  But if you are like me you don't have a clue what your elevation is so you don't know if you sho... 11/21/2010

    Happy Almost Thanksgiving I hope this finds you having a nice Friday.  Can you believe that we are less than a week until Thanksgiving?  Where has November gone?  Any big plans for the holiday?  We will be here at home with our daughter, son-in-law and his family.  It should be a wonderful day.   I hope whatever you do, it too is grand! Since next Friday is part of the holiday weekend, I am going to take the day off and I won't be posting my usual Weekly Words of Wisdom - but I will be back in two weeks.  Until then have a very Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy your holiday weekend! ...geri   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   ABILITY is what you are capable of doing.  MOTIVATION determines what you will do.  ATTITUDE determines how well you do it.   ~L... 11/19/2010

There were 17 Single family home sales closed in Covington, WA last month.  The lowest priced home sold was $144,200 and the highest price was $360,000. The median sales price for all homes sold was $235,000 and the average days on market for these listings was 89 days. Covington Homes Sold Year to Date There have been 168 Single family homes sold in Covington so far this year through October 31st*. The lowest priced home sold was $113,000 and the highest price was $608,000. The median sales price for all homes sold was $239,000 and the average days on market for these listings was 66 days. *Represents single family homes listed through NWMLS only and does not reflect private party sales. 11/13/2010

    Happy Friday!   I hope this finds you having a wonderful day.  My week will be wrapping up wonderfully!  My daughter and I will be having a mom/daughter shopping day tomorrow.  A little Christmas shopping, some basic errands to be run and if all goes well it will be topped off with a margarita!  Woo Hoo, should be a fantastic day.   I hope your week wraps up as good as mine :) Enjoy the quotes and I'll see you next Friday. ...geri ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`   Some days you tame the tiger.  And some days the tiger has you for lunch.   ~Tug McGraw       Be your own hero, it's cheaper than a movie ticket.   ~Doug Horton       Pain nourishes courage.  You can't be brave if you've only had wonderful things happen to you.  ~Mary Tyler Moore  ... 11/12/2010

  Rain, rain go away...   Oh how we find ourselves singing that song so often this time of year.  Yep, we have certainly moved into the rainy season (although you wouldn't think that today!)  November actually has the honor of having the "wettest" day of the year in it.  November 19th is historically the day most likely to have percipitation with a 74.3% chance of rain.  If you are making plans for that day, I would suggest you take an umbrella and plan indoor events. If you are looking for the odds to be in your favor for a dry day, then August 4th is your best bet.  In the last 117 years that has been the day least likely to have any precipitation - just a 7.7% chance of rain. KOMO news has a really fun chart called, "What are the odds it will rain on any given day."  Check it out at... 11/10/2010

      FALL BACK   Yep, that time of year when we turn back our clocks one hour is upon us again.  Wow, a whole extra hour...  What will you do with yours?  I was thinking about maybe sleeping (one of my favorite things to do) but now I am not so sure.  Maybe I will bake cookies, or clean the blinds in the family room, or address my Thanksgiving cards, or watch more football, or curl up with a good book.  Hmmm...  so many choices. Whatever you do with your hour I hope it is wonderful.  And don't forget to change the battaries in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors too. Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy your extra hour!           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 11/06/2010

        Happy Friday!    I hope your week has been good.  Things here have been just amazing.  We've had several days of sunshine and warm temps to rival a summer a day.  As you can see from the picture, we've had just amazing blue skies and with the fall colors it has just been stunning! I hope that your week has been spectacular.  See ya next Friday! ...geri         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   The only people to get even with are those who have helped you.  -Anonymous       Anger is a wind which blows out the lamp of the mind.  -Robert Green Ingersoll       If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.  -Unknown       When we wake up in morning, we have two simple choices.  Go back to sleep and dream, or wake up and chase those dreams.  -Unk... 11/05/2010

  'Tis the Season...    Though the weather outside if hardly frightful (actually feeling more summer like than winter-ish) it is time for some holiday shopping.  There are many craft / bazaar events going on in our area this weekend and here is some info about a few:   14th Annual Sunrise Elementary PTA Autumn Craft Fair is being held at Sunrise Elementary from 9Am - 4 PM.  They are located at 22300 132nd Ave SE. in Kent, WA.   Kent Holiday Craft Market is being held at the Kent Senior Activity Center on November 5th from 9AM - 5 PM and on November 6th from 9AM - 4 PM.  They are located at 600 E. Smith St. in Kent, WA.   Julefest will take place at Zion Luther Church from 9AM - 3PM.  They are located at 25105 132nd Ave SE in Kent, WA.   Holiday Craft Event will be in the Fellowship Hal... 11/04/2010

  Here is a quick look at what it going on in the real estate market in our area, zip code 98042... There are currently 301 homes for sale with prices ranging from just under 100,000's to just under 3 million. 1 and 2-bedrooms homes for sale:  12 3 bedroom homes for sale:  151 4 bedroom homes for sale:  113 5+ bedroom homes for sale:  25   There were 28 homes that sold in October, 2010.   23 were re-sale homes and  5 were new construction. A further breakout shows what type of homes sold..,. New Construction:  18% Bank Owned:  25% Short Sales:  11% Regular Re-sales:  46%   The average sale price was $274,000             Low sales price was:  $144,200             High sales price was:  $500,000   *These are sales listed in the MLS only, it does not reflect any private sales. 11/01/2010

    Happy Friday to all! I hope that your week is wrapping up nicely, and I trust that while I was out of town last week things went well for you.  We had a fabulous trip back to Kentucky for my nieces wedding.  The weather was amazing, the "event" was fun and it was just great to see so many of my family members.  As a matter of fact, I got to meet three of my nieces for the first time and my sisters new husband!!  Enjoy this weeks quotes and I will be back next week with more!! ...geri             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   Use your imagination not to scare yourself to death, but to inspire yourself to life.  ~Adele Brookman        A great attitude is not the result of SUCCESS:  success is the result of a great attitude.   ~Earl Nighten... 10/29/2010

    Halloween is a fun holiday, a time to dress up, let loose and of course (young or old) eat lots and lots and lots of candy.  Whether you are big or small, you want to be cautious when it comes to costumes, candy and parties.  Here are a few tips to keep you and your little trick or treaters safe this spooky season. 1.  If you plan to be out trick or treating in your costume wear bright reflective costumes or add strips of reflective tape to them so you'll be more visible.  Also make sure the costumes are not so long that you are in danger of tripping in them. 2.  Wear make-up and hats rather than a mask which can obscure your vision. 3.  Be careful of reactions to make-up.  Test any make-up that you plan to wear by putting a small amount on your arm a couple of days in advance of w... 10/27/2010

Jenkins Creek Park Reopening Ribbon Cutting and Volunteer Recognition Event October 23, 2010         12:30 PM The City of Covington would like to invite you to join them in celebrating the reopening of Jenkins Creek Park! On Saturday, October 23rd, the city will conduct a ribbon cutting ceremony to property reopen Jenkins Creek Park.  Immediately following, the city will honor all volunteers who have made a difference in Jenkins Creek Park and who have helped to make this reopening come sooner than expected.  The event will be held at the west side of the upper meadow of Jenkins Creek Park at 12:30 PM.  For more information, please contact Parks and Recreation Director Scott Thomas at sthomas@ci.covington.wa.us or call 253-638-1110. 10/18/2010

ManeStage Theatre Company Sumner, WA  /  A non-profit Community Theatre   ManeStage Theatre Company is a family of creative artists committed to producing dynamic drama that enhances the moral imagination.  They seek to be a haven for creative artists of all ages to utilize their gifts for the "Greater good," to stimulate and educate audiences from all walks of life and to serve the community by producing professional, family oriented entertainment.  They are currently performing Jane Austen's best selling classic love story - Pride & Prejudice, The Musical.  The show opened last night and runs through October 24th.      All performances are held at the Sumner Performing Arts Center located at 1707 Main Street in Sumner, WA.  Tickets may be purchased at the door, or in advance with a cr... 10/17/2010

  Happy Friday to all! I hope this finds you having a wonderful day.  Things are just peachy in my corner of the world :) For those of you who follow my Weekly Words of Wisdom, I wanted to let you know that I won't be sharing any quotes next Friday.  We are flying to Kentucky to attend my nieces wedding.  I am really looking forward to a few days in town with my family.  I hope whatever you do next Friday, it is equally as fun.  See you in two weeks! ...geri ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   A bend in the road is not the end of the road...  Unless you fail to make the turn.    Anonymous                                                     -thanks to my big sister Pat for sharing this one with me so I could share it with you :)   You cannot dream... 10/15/2010

The Laughter Movie   As many of you that follow my Weekly Words of Wisdom know, I LOVE quotes.  Those short phrases that can bring a tear to your eye, a lightness to your heat, a chuckle to your belly...  Well today I came across a movie from Simple Truths called, "Laughter is an Instant Vacation."  These certainly brought a "chuckle" to my belly and and I hope they will to yours too.  It is amazing how a bad day can turn good with just a hearty laugh.  I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.  Have a good day and I will be back tomorrow with some of my favorite quotes for the week.   http://thelaughtermovie.com/ 10/14/2010

        Happy Friday to all!   I hope that your week is wrapping up nicely.  We've had a nice start to October in my little corner of the world.  The month started dry AND we even had some sun - how special is that!   But they have said to get your boat built, we are suppose to make up for it over the weekend. I hope wherever you are, you are having a beautiful fall.  Enjoy the selection of quotes and I will see you again next Friday with more. ....geri                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  There are three types of baseball players - those who make it happen, those who watch it happen and those who wonder what happened.  ~Tommy Lasorda       Believe that you can whip the enemy, and you have won half the battle.  ~Ge... 10/08/2010

    RECYCLING EVENT When:  Saturday, October              9 AM - 3 PM Where:  Kentwood High School (senior parking lot)               25800 164th Ave SE    Covington, WA         It is time to clean out your home and garage and take your unwanted computers, printers, fax machines, phones, speakers, radios, game systems, tv's, VCR's, refrigerators, anything with a plug, any size appliance, car and computer batteries, medical equipment, furniture, ink toner and cartridges, lawn mowers (but please empty gas and oil), tools, exercise equipment and BBQ's.  Donations are gladly accepted.  Minimum suggested donations are $10.00 for smaller items, $20.00 for larger items.  Proceeds will be used for senior scholarships and the student enrichment grant.  Please make checks payable to Kentwood PTS... 10/06/2010

Here is a quick look at what it going on in the real estate market in our area, zip code 98042... There are currently 323 homes for sale with prices ranging from just under 100,000's to just under 3 million. 1 and 2-bedrooms homes for sale:  11 3 bedroom homes for sale:  150 4 bedroom homes for sale:  132 5+ bedroom homes for sale:  30   There were 31 homes that sold in September, 2010.   24 were re-sale homes and  7 were new construction. A further breakout shows what type of homes sold..,. New Construction:  19.5% Bank Owned:  19% Short Sales:  13% Regular Re-sales:  48.5%   The average sale price was $299.850             Low sales price was:  $145,000             High sales price was:  $750,000   *These are sales listed in the MLS only, it does not reflect any private sales.   10/02/2010